Festival time

Just as the April showers finally seem to have arrived, the summer festival season is upon us and there are some great free festivals happening in London this summer.

In my local area, the annual Brockley Max festival kicked off last Friday with a lively afternoon and evening of music outside the Brockley Barge. I was there for a couple of hours in the evening and there was a fantastic atmosphere and a great mix of different types of music, ranging from a community choir to a ska band. The festival runs all this week and includes theatre, comedy, dance, workshops and children's events as well as lots of music.

Another of my favourite free festivals begins in a few week's time. The Greenwich and Docklands International Festival runs from 24 June to 2 July and if past events are anything to go by is likely to include some amazing spectacles. A year or two ago we watched a fire lit dance performance after dark in Greenwich Park. There doesn't seem to be anything quite the same this year but there are lots of other interesting free events on offer, including:

• A 21st century version of the Greenwich Fair which was the 'largest and most uproarious gathering of outdoor entertainment in Britain' until it started getting abit out of hand 150 years ago and was shut down.
• As the World Tipped , an aerial theatre performance about climate change in Mile End Park.
• An opportunity to view dance from an unusual angle at Canary Wharf with La Mirada Transparente's transparent stage. The audience sit on reclining seats underneath the stage.
• Les Girafes, the festival's finale in Woolwich town centre which includes life-sized giraffes, confetti explosions and evocative music.

Also, just about to start is the More London Free Festival at The Scoop. It starts with theatre performances from tomorrow but over the coming months there will also be music and film at this outdoor venue next to City Hall.

These are only a few of the many free festivals in London this summer ranging from one day local events to summer long celebrations at central locations. Let me know if you have any particular favourites.

Dirt: The Filthy Reality of Everyday Life

This is an exhibition I visited earlier this week at the Wellcome Collection in Euston Road which explores our relationship with dirt and how science has gradually gained a better understanding, both of the threat dirt poses to our health and the vital role it plays in our existence. As well as the pictures, books and other objects such as a 17th century chamber pot, which you might expect to see, it also contains a number of contemporary artworks intended to portray various associated messages. I wasn't sure how much these added and I spent more time looking at the short film of magnified microbes, which was quite beautiful in parts, than at any of the pieces of art.

The exhibition is divided into six sections each based around a specific place and time to illustrate the impact of dirt in a particular setting. Thus it starts with the home in Delft in 1683 (with a discussion about the relationship between cleanliness and godliness), moves through places such as the hospital in Glasgow in 1867 (containing some fairly gruesome pictures of gangrene) and the museum in Dresden in 1930 (covering the Dresden Hygiene Museum) and finishes with the land in Staten Island in 2030 (focusing on the future of a major landfill site). Some of these sections worked better than others but organising the exhibition in this way certainly provided a good illustration of how wide the impact of dirt is.

Despite (or perhaps because of) knowing a little of the history covered in the London section (the street in 1854), I found this the most interesting. It addresses the period in the 19th century when the public health implications of dirty water first started to be properly understood and illustrates both some of the common misconceptions at the time and the measures that were developed to deal with sewerage and polluted water. So, alongside John Snow's map demonstrating that cholera was being spread from a particular water pump and Bazelgette's designs for Deptford Pumping Station, there are etchings which satirise the dubious advice and bizarre costumes that people adopted in an attempt to defend themselves against cholera.

The exhibition petered out slightly when it got to the 21st century. There was an interesting discussion in the section on the community in New Delhi and Kolkata in 2011 about the lack of proper sewerage in modern day India and the attempts of charities and government to improve this. But the final section on landfill focused entirely on the rehabilitation of one site on Staten Island and did not include any wider coverage of the issues associated with the large amounts of waste we produce. Even more of an omission was any real reference to air pollution given that dirty air is probably the modern day equivalent of some of the problems covered earlier in the exhibition.

That aside, the exhibition is certainly worth seeing and you will definitely wash your hands before eating afterwards! It runs until the end of August and the Wellcome Collection organise free tours of the exhibition on Saturdays as well as various other events.

A Tour of the Olympic Park

Like many of those who applied, we're currently waiting to find out whether our bid for Olympic tickets was successful. We only applied for four events and so far no money has been taken from our account so the waiting goes on.

In the meantime, I had the opportunity to go on a tour of the Olympic Park this morning. Security is very tight - you have to show photo ID to be allowed on the tour - and you are taken round by bus which you can't get off. So although you are allowed to take pictures you have to snatch a photo from the moving bus when you can. It's still interesting to see the buildings taking shape and the amount of work that is going in to creating the Park.

This was the best shot I managed to get of the Olympic Stadium. As you can see the landscaping for the Park is now going in although there is clearly still alot of work to do.

Olympic Stadium

I also managed to get reasonably good shots of the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre. The latter looks a lot less finished than some of the other main venues but apparently the internal fittings are pretty much complete to the extent that there is already water in the pools.

The Velodrome

The Aquatics Centre

The bus took us all round the site, through the Athletes Village and past the new Stratford International Station which according to news reports last year may not now be international after all.

Finally we got to see The Orbit, the twisted tower designed by Anish Kapoor, which is currently under construction. The finished structure will include viewing platforms and restaurants and will be taller than the Statute of Liberty. There's been some debate as to whether the Orbit will become London's Eiffel Tower and I'm still undecided on it's architectural merits. However, given the success of the London Eye, it seems there is a ready market for attractions that allow people to view London from above so it should be a commercial success (assuming people are as keen to see East London once the Games have finished).

 

The Orbit under construction

To book a place on the free bus tours operated by the Olympic Delivery Authority phone 0300 2012 001. Apparently there is currently a three month waiting list.

Free Theatre in London

London offers some great opportunities for free entertainment, especially in terms of live music but it's generally more difficult to find free theatre performances. That will change over the next few weeks as there are some great opportunities coming up.


This week sees the start of the summer season at The Scoop at More London. Over the course of the summer there will be theatre, music and films all on offer for free at this outdoor venue next to City Hall. It all begins this Wednesday with 'Shakespeare Happens: The Tragedy of Macbeth' which is described as high energy, interactive and colourful. Apparently it aims to bring the look of a graphic novel to life on stage so I'm guessing it may be a different take on Shakespeare! This production runs until 30 May and there are a series of other theatrical performances throughout June including a contemporary take on The Canterbury Tales and a play about rival tour guides competing with each other (Citiest of Cities). July at The Scoop is dedicated to free music but theatre returns in August with 'Around the World in 80 Days' and Brecht's 'The Mother'. It's a great venue but I would recommend wrapping up warm and taking a cushion if you want something soft to sit on.

If musicals are more your thing, then don't miss West End Live in Trafalgar Square on 18 and 19 June. This is an annual celebration of the big West End shows which includes hits from around 20 of the current big hits such as The Lion King, Mamma Mia! and War Horse.

Free Three Month National Art Pass

The Guardian newspaper currently has a great reader offer for a free, three month National Art Pass. This gives you free entry to hundreds of museums and galleries across the UK (many of which are in London) and 50% off entry to many major exhibitions at places like the Tate Modern and the British Museum.

The National Art Pass is organised by the Art Fund which raises money to help museums and galleries purchase and show works of art. If you're too late for the special offer (it's not clear from the website but I think this only runs until the end of May), you can still buy an annual National Art Pass. It only costs £35 if you pay by direct debit so is well worth having if you enjoy visiting galleries and museums.

I sent off for the free, three month Art Pass last week and now that it has arrived, I've been having a look at what's on offer in London to decide what I want to visit. Good options among the museums which offer free entry to Art Pass holders include:

• The Cartoon Museum
• The Foundling Museum
• Charles Dickens Museum

There's free access to a few exhibitions too including ones at:

• The Guildhall Art Gallery
• Dulwich Picture Gallery
• The Mall Galleries

However, some of the best deals are on half price entry to exhibitions including most of this summer's 'blockbusters', such as:

• Joan Miro at the Tate Modern
• Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World at the British Museum
• The Cult of Beauty at the Victoria and Albert Museum

There is also a slight reduction on entry to Tracey Emin's exhibition at the Hayward Gallery.

All in all, it looks like a great opportunity to see lots of London's museums and galleries at very little cost.

The perfect time for a walk in the park

 London has some great parks and open spaces and they usually look their best at this time of year. The grass is still green and lush and the trees are in full leaf as you can see from this picture of Hilly Fields in Lewisham which is my local park.




I've always enjoyed having this a few minutes walk from where I live but now that I have more time I have really started to appreciate it. I love seeing all the different things that people get up to in Hilly Fields - blowing giant bubbles, practicing their slackrope walking (like a tightrope only it's not tight!), playing the guitar, doing exercise classes or just sitting enjoying the scenery - and all this activity is part of what makes city parks so special. However, there are times when it is good to be able to appreciate the space with fewer people around and I like being able to go there now at times when it is quieter.

Over the last few weeks I've discovered that a good time to go for a walk in the park is between 9 and 10am. Earlier than that and you'll be sharing it with the early morning dog walkers and runners and people walking or cycling through on their way to school or work and from mid-morning onwards there tend to be quite a few other people around. When I walked through Hilly Fields the other morning just after 9am, there were very few other people around - just a few mothers out jogging with their babies in pushchairs and a couple of people playing tennis.

As you might guess from the name, the park is on a hill and there are great views of the surrounding area. In one direction you can see to the Isle of Dogs and the Dome and in the other direction you can see to Crystal Palace and beyond.

 A short walk down Vicars Hill from Hilly Fields brings you to another park, Ladywell Fields, which has had alot of money spent on it over the last few years to open up the river that runs through it. It's a really attractive open space and I usually continue on there after walking across Hilly Fields.


From there you can also walk or cycle along the Waterlink Way to Catford and then on through various riverside parks for another couple of miles. It's a good place for some off-road cycling or walking.

Australian Garden at the British Museum

The British Museum is always a good option for whiling away a few spare minutes (or hours!). All of the permanent displays and many of the temporary exhibitions are free of charge and there is so much there you couldn't possibly see it all in one visit.

They are currently running an Australian Season. This includes a number of related events (film screenings, music etc) and couple of special exhibitions which open later this month - one on Australian prints and drawings and one on baskets and other containers made by indigenous Australian communities. Already opened in the Museum forecourt is an Australian landscape garden which was created in partnership with Kew. It's divided into sections to reflect the varying habitats of different parts of the continent with appropriate plants, trees and other features such as rock outcrops for each. Here are a few more pictures from my recent visit to the garden:

Summer on the South Bank

Both the National Theatre and the Royal Festival Hall (RFH) host regular free events (mainly live music) throughout the year but over the next few months there'll be lots more happening. The National Theatre's Watch this Space free festival has been running for a few years now and offers music, dance, circus and more in the square outside the theatre. There's not much detail available yet about this year's festival which starts on 1 July but I'm sure there'll be some interesting events on offer.

This year there is even more reason than usual to spend time around here as the South Bank Centre celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain with a 'festival of British culture and creativity' which includes a number of free performances and activities. I've already been along to a couple of events and hope to get along to several more.

 On Saturday 30th April, we took part in Billy's Big Busk with hundreds of us singing along to a range of songs led by Billy Bragg and many people also joining in on musical instruments. There were lots of guitars and a whole range of other instruments including saxophone, didgeridoo and percussion and it was great fun.

As usual Billy was good at engaging with the audience and he had a number of assistants who held up boards with the chords on to help those playing along. The songs included Billy's own (A13, A New England), old favourites (Daydream Believer) and recent hits (Adele's Rolling in the Deep). A couple getting married at the RFH that day were invited on stage to sing along to Shotgun Wedding! I only managed to take a couple of pictures as I was too busy enjoying myself but there are loads more in the link above.


We were back again last Saturday for some more music as the Magpie's Nest had organised various folk singing and dancing activities. We also spent some time exploring what else is on offer. This includes a food market behind the RFH, a beach and a series of beach huts next to the river and a garden on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. This last was my favourite. They have planted a wildflower meadow which should be wonderful when it is in bloom. There are also lots of raised beds with vegetables, soft fruit and herbs and even a cafe, so you can while a way an hour or so with a beer or coffee. When we visited it was relatively quiet up there compared to the hustle and bustle below but I guess that may change as people discover it.

There is also a Festival Museum which I plan to visit another time. The festival runs until 4 September and details of all the events are available here. This week-end the focus is on singing with a range of choral activities and the following week-end it's classical music.

It looks like it is going to be a great summer on the South Bank.

A bicycle ride in Lee Valley Park

I'd heard a while ago that there was a good off-road cycle route along the Lee Valley but when I tried to get on to it a few years ago on an icy January day the access we planned to use was locked (I think due to work being undertaken in preparation for the Olympics) and being cold and hungry we gave up and found a cafe instead.

Last Friday on a much warmer day, my friend and I had a more successful trip along the route and I would thoroughly recommend it for a great place to get the experience of cycling in the country without leaving the city. The Lee Valley Regional Park is a long stretch of green space running north from the Thames all the way out to Ware in Hertfordshire along the banks of the River Lee. The cycle route follows the 26 miles of its length and is part of Route 1 of the Sustrans National Cycle Network which apparently runs all the way from Dover to the Shetlands. I'm not sure I'll ever cycle all of that but it was certainly useful to be able to follow the signs for it through Docklands and on to Victoria Park to reach the Lee Valley. 

 From South London, we took our bicycles through the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to reach the Isle of Dogs and pick up the signs for route 1. Unfortunately the lifts are currently being refurbished so we had to carry our bikes up and down the stairs but that shouldn't be necessary from June when the lifts are due to re-open. The sign-posted route takes you on quiet roads and traffic-free routes through Tower Hamlets. There is the occasional stretch on busier roads and one short section around Canary Wharf where the signs disappeared briefly but we found them again. The route passes very close to the Olympic Park and there are great views of the stadium. There is also on-going construction activity around this area but nothing that blocked our way this time.

Once you are away from the building work and into the Lee Valley it really feels like entering another world - you are surrounded by fields and marshland with only distant views of buildings. After cycling for a few miles we stopped for lunch near Springfield Park and I was amazed to see from a sign that we were still in Hackney. There are barges moored on the river here and it all looks very rural for somewhere that is officially part of Inner London.

We had to turn round at that point as my friend needed to get back but I want to go back sometime to explore the rest of the route. It's possible to catch a train back to Liverpool Street from several stations on or near the route so you don't have to do the full distance there and back. You can download a leaflet and map of the Lee Valley cycle route here.

A massage for a tenner

This may sound like one of those special offers that is too good to be true but I really did have a full body massage for £10 this morning at the beauty academy, T'ien, at Lewisham College (from whose website this image is taken). The reason for the low price is that the treatments are carried out by students and I certainly wasn't expecting the towelling robes and scented candles that you would get at somewhere more luxurious and expensive. However, I was a little taken aback initially at the extent to which I was foregoing privacy, especially as their website refers to a 'tranquil and stylish environment'. All the treatments take place in one large room and although there were curtains drawn round the massage couch, these could not prevent the noise of surrounding conversations filtering through.

I quickly overcame my initial shock at the slightly hospital ward ambience and was able to tune out most of the background chatter. This was helped by the fact that the trainee providing my treatment was polite and friendly and having asked what I preferred at the start, proceeded to give me the firm massage I had requested, starting with my scalp and finishing with my back and covering face, arms, legs and feet in-between. The massage was good but not quite as effective as the last one I had  a couple of months ago at the Apsara Thai Spa in Deptford where it was accompanied by delicious ginger tea, a chance to use the sauna and the smiliest welcome imaginable but that did cost nearly four times as much.

My massage today lasted about an hour and 15 minutes so really was very good value-for-money compared to standard beauty salon prices as long as you can cope with effectively being semi-naked in a room full of people! The salon also offers a wide range of other treatments at reasonable prices (e.g. a facial for £8) so I might well go back to sample something else.

The salon is only open on weekdays during term-time and in the past I found it impossible to get an appointment outside working hours but if you can be flexible about when you go and are looking for low-cost beauty treatments then I would definitely recommend giving T’ien a try. I imagine that other colleges with beauty courses offer something similar so it would be worth checking the website for your local college, if you like this idea but don't live in or near Lewisham.

The College also has a training restaurant which has an interesting menu at very reasonable prices but again the opening hours are limited. Now that I have more time I hope to be able to give it a try too as I've heard good things about it.